This invention relates to vertical form, fill and seal machines, and in particular to an orientation device for orienting disoriented products prior to packaging.
In many packaging applications, and particularly when long products are packaged together, it is necessary to first orient the products going into the package before the group of products is actually inserted into the package. Long products, which typically have a longitudinal axis which is many times the length of any other dimension of the products, often need to be packaged in discreet groups. Products of this type have traditionally been packaged on horizontal form, fill and seal machines, where individual products are grouped and then inserted as a group onto a moving film. This insures a positive placement of the group of products with respect to end seals of the ensuing package as well as orienting the products in a horizontal format in order to avoid any bridging or gaps. At all times, the product is oriented in a known manner and is under control by the elements of the machine so that final orientation in the package can be assured.
In a vertical form, fill and seal machine, control of the products is temporarily lost as products are passed vertically from the feed system into the tube. In modem scale feed systems, a series of individual groups of products are "dumped" from a series of feeders or buckets, and are combined to produce a desired number or weight of the products. While a very accurate method of producing precise deliveries occurs at high speeds, because control of the products is temporarily lost as the products are dumped, there is no guarantee of the orientation of the products at the time of their recombination while they are being packaged. In such an apparatus, products fall down a transition chute into a discharge tube and then into a package. From the time that products are initially released until they reach the package, their fall is typically regulated by gravity. The only orientation is typically due to the tube which confines the products. In many instances, bridging occurs as the products fall, requiring the use of clearing devices such as pneumatically-operated pokers, shakers or the like.
Often, too, if individual groups of products are dumped simultaneously, products from sources oriented in opposing positions can collide at the end of the transition chute and effectively bridge or stop for a short period of time before transitioning down the tube. This results in products being delayed from extending down the product delivery tube, a condition known as "string out". The string out can cause timing problems as well as product orientation problems during the downward fall of the products.
Additional problems can exist if the size of the package is to be relatively tight in relation to the products contained therewithin. If the package is incapable of accepting products at random, unless the products are properly oriented, one or more of the products will extend into the intended sealing area, resulting in either damage to the product or having the product interfere with the quality of the seal of the package, or both.
As a result, in the past devices such as vibrators, shakers and pokers have been developed to try to properly orient products as they are being packaged. Vibrators are often employed on the product delivery tube to keep products from clinging to the inside of the tube, and have also been used to attempt to orient product in the tube. Shakers comprise various devices which clamp to the package and shake the package prior to the time that the package is sealed. Pokers consist of pneumatic operated cylinders or mechanical devices that are used to strike the bridged product in an attempt to eliminate the jam and orient the product in the package to minimize the volume and thus reduce the possibility of trapping product in the seal area as the package is sealed. Pokers rely on breaking the product into smaller pieces to clear the jam. While this is satisfactory in some applications such as the snack food industry, it is generally not acceptable to the candy, cookie or cracker industries. All of these devices, however, merely add to the cost of the apparatus and are marginally successful in attaining their desired goals.